floor tiles

RuthG

googler wrote: »

Hardboard will be no use at all. if you want to lay ceramic tiles, you should probably put down three-quarter inch plywood as a base on top of the floorboards. secure it to the boards with plenty of screws. if it moves, your tiles WILL crack.

Prep the plywood with dilute PVA before tiling.

What's a 'kind of wet-room'?

Sorry, missed this post before replying as above. Okay so screw it down and paint with PVA, thanks for that. Sounds like a simple and sensible idea.

A 'kind of wet room' is one that is tiled all over the floor and walls, but doesnt have the shower open directly onto it, but has the capacity to get wet without ruining the flooring (we have carpet at the moment and yes, we have learned that lesson )

RuthG

vax2002 wrote: »

If you dont know what to use for a sub-floor then you are not even a mildly competent DIY'er.

Knowing what is necessary and being competent to do it are two different things. It is important to ask advice from others who have done it before. Even professionals dont just know how to do things automatically - they have had training or have been taught by someone else usually.

paye

RuthG wrote: »

Knowing what is necessary and being competent to do it are two different things. It is important to ask advice from others who have done it before. Even professionals dont just know how to do things automatically - they have had training or have been taught by someone else usually.

spot on. Never be afraid to ask.

back to the OP, if your going to use ply ,Googler spot on in saying that you have to make sure the ply is firmly fixed to the floorboard to minimize movement. what ever you do don't use PVA over ply as it's not recommended by tile adhesive manufacturers. Use a latex based primer and cement based flexible adhesive and mould resistant flexible grout. both powdered bagged versions not the premixed tubs.

Just to be clear this is not recommended for wet rooms.

RuthG

Excellent, thanks for the advice. Just out of interest, why is the stuff in tubs not recommended?

paye

RuthG wrote: »

Excellent, thanks for the advice. Just out of interest, why is the stuff in tubs not recommended?

the bagged adhesive Mixes very easily. and Spreads a lot better than the premixed tubs. Also the bagged version are rapid set as where the premixed isn;t.

Go for the' Bal' adhesive products, best ones on the market.

mikey72

http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/technical/faq#q9 http://www.bal-adhesives.co.uk/newpdfs/literature/sitework_guidance.pdf I always use ply, and BAL rapiset flexible, and microflex grout. Don't use any PVA.

BertieUK

RuthG I would suggest that you have a look at the information contained in this article.

We all may feel compitent at certain jobs but at the end of the day, knowing and doing can be miles apart, there is no substiute for experience, and water can be so distructive within cofines of a building.

Take care and kind regards

BobUK


http://www.diywetroom.com/products.htm

RuthG

BertieUK wrote: »

RuthG I would suggest that you have a look at the information contained in this article.

We all may feel compitent at certain jobs but at the end of the day, knowing and doing can be miles apart, there is no substiute for experience, and water can be so distructive within cofines of a building.

Take care and kind regards

BobUK


http://www.diywetroom.com/products.htm

That's the kind of wet room we are not doing - that's a proper wet room with the drainage hole in the tiles. We wont be able to have a separate shower, so that is going over the bath (bathroom is large, but because of the odd design, a shower isnt possible - we think the house wasnt designed with an interior bathroom in the beginning). Really, we just want to have tiles (waterproof ones) on the floor and walls (though we might panel the walls instead). We have already laid tiles (kitchen and utility room) just not on a wooden floor upstairs before and understand about water etc. Sealing around the edges where the wall meets the floor and between the tiles is the priority obviously; we know we dont want water leaking onto the joists. Already had that problem when we moved in and had to add an RSJ under the hot water tank as a result - must have been leaking for years before we got here, but we couldnt see it till it came through the ceiling. BTW we had an 'expert' to do the RSJ and he failed to put a pad stone under the end of the joist, which will need remedying. Cant always trust experts! I would rather rtust my other half - after all, the house is our investment and probably the largest investment we have! No-one wants it not to fall down more than we do.

BertieUK

I would take a visit to one of the many companies that only trade in tiles, and nothing else for 'on the spot advice'

I built a complete walk in shower enclosure myself a couple of years ago and went along to Topp Tiles and spoke to the manager there, who was very knowledgeable with the products, who advised me as to which adhesives were best to use for the type of tiles that I had chosen, and the types of floor materials that I was using.

Even experts, as you say, can make mistakes but that the nature of the beast.

Kind regards

BobUK